Fast Out of the Gate

By Brent Manley

The opening set of the McConnell final match between the Narasimhan and Steiner was very much a good new-bad news affair. It was very good news for Narasimhan and just the opposite for Steiner.

It was the latter team that drew first blood, however – on the first deal.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ 10 8 5 3 ♥ Q J 8 6 3 ♦ A J 3 2 ♣ –
♠ J ♥ K 7 5 2 ♦ Q 8 5 ♣ Q 9 5 3 2		♠ Q 9 4 2 ♥ 10 9 4 ♦ K 10 ♣ A K 7 6
	♠ A K 7 6 ♥ A ♦ 9 7 6 4 ♣ J 10 8 4

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
	2♥	Pass	4♠
All Pass

Tobi Sokolow’s 2♥ showed a limited hand with the majors, so Janice Seamon-Molson wasted no time getting to the spade game.

JoAnna Stansby could have scuttled the contract with a trump lead or a low diamond, but she started with a low club. Seamon-Molson ruffed in dummy, played a heart to the ace, ruffed another club and played the ♥Q just to see what would happen, ruffing when Debbie Rosenberg followed low. Then came another club ruff, the ♦A, a heart ruff and the last club ruff. That was eight tricks in and Seamon-Molson still had the top two trumps. Plus 420.

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Meyers	Letizia	Levin
	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	2♣	Dble	2♠
All Pass

The 1NT was mini (10-12) and Jill Meyers’ 2♣ showed majors. Jill Levin did not try for game, and it was just as well because Carlyn Steiner started with a trump, limiting declarer to nine tricks. Plus 140 but 7 IMPs to Steiner.

Narasimhan got it back and then some on the next deal.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ K 8 6 2 ♥ A 10 8 7 ♦ A Q 7 ♣ 9 5
♠ Q J ♥ K J 9 5 ♦ K J 9 8 4 ♣ K 8		♠ A 9 7 4 ♥ 6 4 2 ♦ 5 2 ♣ A Q 10 3
	♠ 10 5 3 ♥ Q 3 ♦ 10 6 3 ♣ J 7 6 4 2

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
		Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♥	Pass	3NT	All Pass

After the Stayman auction revealed majors in both her opponents’ hands, Sokolow started with the ♣9, which went to the 10, jack and king. Stansby cashed the ♣8 and continued with the ♠Q, ducked, then the ♠J, also ducked. Now stuck in her hand, Stansby tried the ♥K, ducked all around. When Stansby continued with the ♥J, Sokolow won the ace, picking up her partner’s queen in the process. A spade from Sokolow revived the dead dummy. After Stansby won the ♠A, she cashed the ♣A and ♣Q, giving Sokolow serious discard problems (she pitched the ♦7 and the ♥8). Reading the cards accurately, Stansby threw Sokolow in with a heart to the 10. Sokolow could cash the ♠K but had to play away from the ♦A Q at the end, providing declarer with her ninth trick and plus 400.The same contract was played from the other side in the closed room.

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Meyers	Letizia	Levin
		1NT	Pass
2♦	Pass	2♠	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Marinesa Letizia started with 1NT (10-12), so she played it on the lead of a low club. She won in hand with the 10 and played a diamond to dummy’s 8, Meyers playing low. Meyers played low on the ♠J and the ♠Q, so Letizia played the ♥J to South’s queen. A club stuck declarer in dummy (she could not afford to overtake). There was just too much playing away from honors for Letizia, who could not avoid losing five tricks. That swung 10 IMPs to Narasimhan.

Not much happened on the next few boards, but there was some action on number 7.

Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	♠ A J 10 8 6 ♥ K J 8 ♦ 9 7 5 4 ♣ 5
♠ Q 4 ♥ A Q 10 9 ♦ A J 10 8 ♣ Q 4 2		♠ K 9 5 2 ♥ 7 6 3 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ 10 6 3
	♠ 7 3 ♥ 5 4 2 ♦ K 2 ♣ A K J 9 8 7

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
			1♣
1NT	Dble	All Pass

Sokolow started with the ♠J, taken by Stansby with the queen. She fired back a spade at trick two, ducked by Sokolow, and the ♠9 won in dummy. Now the ♦Q was covered by the king and ace. Stansby played the ♦J, then continued with the ♥Q from hand. Sokolow won the ♥K and played a club to Seamon-Molson’s king. The heart switch went to the 10 and jack. Sokolow then played the ♠A and got out with her heart, but Stansby had seven tricks via two spades, three diamonds and two hearts for plus 180.

The auction started the same at the other table, but Meyers did not double.

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Meyers	Letizia	Levin
			1♣
1NT	All Pass

Meyers also started with the ♠J, won by Steiner with the queen, but she did not play a second spade right away. Instead, she played the ♦J from hand. Jill Levin won the ♦K and played a heart. Steiner inserted the 10, losing to the jack, and Meyers attacked Steiner’s dummy entry by playing a diamond. Steiner won the ♦Q in dummy and took another heart finesse. Meyers won and cashed the ♠A, exiting safely with her last heart. Steiner could cash two more red tricks but had to lead away from the ♣Q in the end for minus 100. That was 7 IMPs to Narasimhan, now ahead 22-8.

Rosenberg and Stansby put on a dazzling defensive show on the following deal to earn 11 IMPs for their side.

Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	♠ 7 5 ♥ 8 ♦ Q J 8 ♣ A K Q J 10 7 4
♠ J 9 8 3 2 ♥ Q 7 6 5 4 ♦ – ♣ 9 6 2		♠ A K 6 ♥ A K 10 9 ♦ A 9 6 2 ♣ 8 3
	♠ Q 10 4 ♥ J 3 2 ♦ K 10 7 5 4 3 ♣ 5

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
	1♣	Dble	1♦
1♠	3♣	Dble	Pass
4♥	Pass	Pass	Dble
Pass	5♣	Dble	All Pass

Rosenberg started with the ♥K, and Stansby contributed the queen to make sure her partner knew a switch was indicated, and it didn’t take Rosenberg long to figure out what to do. The ♦A was followed by the ♦9 (suit preference), ruffed. A spade to the king allowed another diamond ruff, then a spade to the ace completed the rout for plus 800 to Narasimhan.

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Meyers	Letizia	Levin
	1♣	Dble	1♦
1♠	3♣	Dble	Pass
3♥	Pass	4♥	Pass
Pass	5♣	Dble	All Pass

Letizia started with the ♠K, switching to the ♥K when Steiner played the ♠2. On the ♥K, Steiner simply played a low heart. Letizia still could have salvaged plus 500 by switching to the ♦A, but she continued with the ♥A – and that was that. Meyers ruffed, pulled trumps and gave up two more tricks, to the ♦A and a high spade, for minus 300.

Narasimhan’s lead had grown to 33-8. The final swing of the first set occurred on the next-to-last deal.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	♠ A 8 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ J 10 9 8 7 ♣ 10 9 6
♠ 10 9 4 ♥ K Q 8 2 ♦ 2 ♣ J 7 4 3 2		♠ K J 7 ♥ A J 10 9 6 5 3 ♦ K Q ♣ K
	♠ Q 6 5 3 ♥ – ♦ A 6 5 4 3 ♣ A Q 8 5

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
		1♥	Dble
4♥	All Pass

Seamon-Molson started with the ♦A, and from there – at least from a double-dummy viewpoint – her best chance was to hope Rosenberg misguessed in spades. At trick two, however, Seamon-Molson switched to a low spade and Rosenberg had an easy plus 420.

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Meyers	Letizia	Levin
		1♣	Pass
1♦	Pass	1♥	Dble
4♥	All Pass

Letizia’s 1♣ was strong, artificial and forcing.

Against the heart game, Levin started with a low spade, giving Letizia no chance for 10 tricks when Meyers won the ♠A and returned the suit. Plus 50 for Narasimhan was another 10 IMPs, the capper to a 50-8 opening set.